“Abby, I want you to know that I'm sorry about – ”
“Stop it,” she said, her voice cracking even as she tried to laugh. “Stop apologizing. It's fine, Chase. What happened was a mistake, I get it. I'm ready to move on now.”
“Good,” I said calmly, though my voice sounded less certain.
Putting my hands in my pockets, I walked around the room, looking around as I headed toward Abby.
“You sure everything's okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said, backing away.
When she stepped back, moonlight pouring in through the window splashed over her face and I caught a proper glimpse of her for the first time. Her eyes were puffy and, at first, I assumed it was from crying until I noticed the large bruise on her cheek. At least I thought it was a bruise – it was too dark for me to say for sure. I also couldn't be sure because she moved too fast, looking away before I could truly see her face, hiding herself from me.
But, why?
Unfortunately for her, I knew this house as well as I did my own, and I moved to the light switch. Abby called out to me, her voice nearly panicking.
“Chase, don't, please – ”
But, it was too late. I hit the switch and light flooded the room. Abby tried to keep her head down, but I went to her and lifted her face to me.
She cringed, shrinking away from me, so I dropped my hand, fearing I might have hurt her. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, yes, but they were also black and blue. She sported a large bruise on her cheek as well – just as I suspected. Her beautiful, pale skin was scratched and broken, and my heart sank to my toes.
“What happened?” I asked, anger and concern bubbling together in my gut.
“Chase, don't worry about it. I got it handled,” she said. “It's fine.”
I turned and looked at the bags on the floor again. It was then that it fully hit me – she was leaving.
“Can I just ask you one last favor, please?” she asked, biting her lip as she spoke, still not able to meet my eyes.
“Anything, Abby.”
“Could you take me to the train station? I really need to get out of here,” she said, a note of near panic in her voice. “Tonight, if possible.”
My fists were balled up at my sides, and as soon as I could speak, I managed to choke out, “Who did this to you?”
“No one you know,” she said, her voice far too calm. “Please, I just need to get out of here, Chase. Help me.”
“But who – ”
She sighed. “My ex. He found me, alright?” she said, an edge of profound sadness behind her words. “He doesn't know where I live, thank God. But, he found me at the bar the other night and – ”
“That son of a bitch did this to you?”
I reached out and touched her cheek, my fingertips brushing along the bruises. My insides ached, and my blood boiled with rage. Someone was going to pay for this. You never, ever hit a woman.
“Yeah, it's why I left him the first time,” she stammered as tears began welling up in her eyes. “I just really need to get out of here, Chase. I need to get away from him.”
“What happened?” I asked, clenching my jaw so tightly, I feared I might crack a tooth.
“After you left, I decided to walk home too, and – ”
“But I got you a ride, Abby,” I said.
Tears fell down her cheeks. She wiped them away and nodded, but I could see just how uncomfortable and upset she was – rightly so, given her condition.
“I know, but I needed some air too,” she said. “After what happened, I was just so – confused.”
I paced the room, my blood boiling, no longer able to look at her – at the damage I'd caused by leaving her there that night. This was my fault. All my fault.
She continued speaking though, “He was waiting for me outside. Thankfully, some guys were leaving and stepped in. They scared him away and he couldn't follow me home.”
I closed my eyes and sighed, shaking my head. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again. I let out a long breath and looked up, trying to catch her eye.
“This is all my fault,” I said, the remorse thick in my voice.
“No, Chase, it's not,” she said, rushing over to me. She took my arm and held on tightly. “This isn't your fault. I shouldn't have left the bar alone. I just wasn't thinking.”
There she was, beaten, bruised, and scared, and she was trying to make me feel better. If I didn't feel like a complete and utter asshole before, well, now I did. Every muscle in my body was tense and I was still clenching my jaw. This was my fault, no matter what Abby said. If I hadn't left her there, none of this would have happened. I made a vow to myself right then and there – I didn't know how, but somehow, I'd make this right for her.
“I have to go,” she said. “He knows I'm here, somehow. I can't risk him finding out where I live. Not after what happened the last time.”
Her voice cracked, and I turned to her. Large, fat tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked, and I felt so helpless. So utterly useless. She wanted one thing from me, and one thing only.
“Alright,” I said. “I'll take you.”
CHAPTER SIX
ABBY
“Where are you going?” Chase asked once we were on the road.
I sighed and shook my head. “I don't know yet. Figured I'd just ride around until I disappeared somewhere, far away,” I said. “I thought this would be far enough away. I guess not.”
Chase was quiet for a while, and I just stared out at the dark ribbon of highway stretching off into the distance as we drove down the lonesome country road. Everything I owned was packed and sitting at my feet. There I was, trying to start over again. Not even a few days after I finally got settled in.
“How did he find you?” Chase asked, his voice low.
“I don't know for sure, but he may have had access to my bank account still,” I said.
I closed my eyes, shook my head, and chastised myself for what was probably the stupidest thing I'd ever done. How could I have been so stupid?
“I'm thinking he logged into my account and saw where purchases were being made,” I said.
“He had your password?”
I shook my head. “No, but he knows enough about me to get that information,” she said. “He's in tech, so, he knows this stuff better than I do.”
Chase pulled into a McDonald's and drove through the parking lot.
“Hungry?” I asked.
I hadn't eaten all day, but my stomach roiled, and the very idea of food made me sick.
“No, we're turning around,” he said.
“What? Why?” I exclaimed, sitting up straight now. “I can't go back home. Paul will find me.”
We headed in the direction we'd come, heading back toward Lynnwood – back toward the town where my ex was waiting for me to finish what he'd started.
“Chase, I can't – ”
“Yes, you can,” he said, his voice calmer and more soothing than I expected. “Because you're not going home.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “If we're headed back to Lynnwood, where else would I go?”
“You're going to stay with me, Abby,” he said, his voice soft. “So I can keep an eye on you.”
I was taken aback. I stared at him like he'd grown multiple heads or something. I couldn't believe he'd gone from “stay off my lawn,” to “you're moving in with me” in such a short span of time. I cleared my throat and looked at him.
“Stay with you?” I asked.
“Yeah, until we put this bastard behind bars, you can stay with me,” he said. “We'll file a police report in the morning, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you in the meantime.”
“I - I can't do that, Chase,” I said.
My heart raced, and there was a warmth inside of me that I hadn't expected. I was overwhelmed by a feeling that he cared about me. He barely knew me, but somehow, he cared enough to go through all this trouble for me.
“Yes, you can. And yes, you will. Listen, Abby,” he said, stopping to take a deep breath, and ran a hand over his head. “I know guys like Paul. He will find you, no matter where you go. And one of these days, he's going to kill you. I can't let that happen to you. I won't let that happen to you.”